For months before he acted, the Lewiston mass shooter told many people about his delusions and his thoughts of violence.

As a psychiatrist who has worked with people with severe and persistent mental illness, I am feeling sympathy and sadness for all of the shooter’s family and associates who tried to get him some help.

In our gun culture, it is extremely difficult to separate people from their guns. It is also difficult to convince people with mental illness to accept treatment – with barriers not just due to stigma, but due to cost and availability of mental health professionals.

We need a nationwide red flag law and we need universal health care.

Julie Keller-Pease
Topsham

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